Reach rod and method of forming the same



Feb. 19 1924.

A. C. MORSE REACH Ron AND METHOD oF FORMING THE SAME Filed Dec. 1l, 1922 2. Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 19 1924.

A. C. MORSE V REACH ROD AND.A METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME Filed Deo. 11, 1922 2 sheets-smet 2' tran Parar orric.

l ALONZO C. MORSE, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO.

REACH ROD AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME.

Application fried December 11, 1922. Serial No. 606,127.

Toa'ZZ whom it mary concern: l ened or upset interiorly, and this upset may Be it known that ALONZO C. MORSE, c1 t1 thus simply increase the tube wall to comzen of the United States of America, residpensate for the cutting of external threads 55 mg at Mansfield, in the county of Richland therein, or may, at the same time and at the 5 andState of Ohio, has invented certain new same operation form the shoulder or4 back and useful Improvements in Reach Rods and stop interiorly of the tube for the ball- Methods of Forming the Same, of which the sockets, or the like. following isa specification. It is characteristic of the present inven- 60 This invention relates to a method of and tion that the means employed to carry out means for internally upsetting a tubular the present method involves no departure member, seamless drawn tubing, or the like. from the well-known methods of treatment, In certain lines of manufacture, particuso that it can be safely urged from a technilarly automobile construction, lightness cal standpoint that the results of the present 65 without sacrifice of requisite strength is method materially increase the strength of highly desirable, and therefore the tube-like the tube at those parts most requiring formation for certain parts of the automostrength, and additionally'to the strength bile has become standard. In the use of the increase, interiorly form the tube for the tube-like part, however, provision must be specifi-c results desired. Thus at a single op- 70 made for the connection of the cooperating eration, the tube end is formed to compen-l parts therewith. This almost invariably in- Sate for the loss of ma-terialin cutting the volves the use of threads on the tube-part, external threads, thus avoiding loss of both forconvenience and to permit necesstrength through such cutting, and also sary adjustment, and in such thread formaformed with the internal shoulder or back 75 tion in a normal tube part, the strength ofv stop necessary to receive and limit movement the material is weakened to the extent of the of the ball-socket in one direction. This enthread cut. tire result is secured without external enf Furthermore, in the use of tube-parts for largement of the tube, Without welding of articular purposes, as, for example in formadditional parts thereto, and without draw- 80 ing reach rods, provision must be made for in of the tube. 1 a lseat or back stop in the interior of the urthermore, the method employed inl housings forming the sockets for the ball volves the use of simple means, can be simply end of the steering crank arm; and this parand expeditiously carried out to Substanticular result has been heretofore sought by tially any degree of end thickening, and in- 85 welding a tube of requisite socket proporvolves practically a single step or operations to the end of a drawn-down or reduced tion, following the heating of the tube-end. portion of the tube part, or by expanding the The means employed to carry out the ends of the tube-parts to an increased and `method, comprise a sectional die, in which t socket proportion. In both these methods, the heated end of the tube is placed, and by 90 the desired bac stop is formed, but` these which the normal external diameter of the methods are commercially objectionable, tube is maintained, and a plunger adapted owing to the inability of insuring a perfect to enter the die opening and having a diweld at all times, where the welding process. ameter slightly less than the external diis used, and the weakening of the tube part, ameter of the tube. A former is carried by 95 through distortion and disarrangement of the plunger to pass within'the tube asthe the steel fibers, where the expanding process plunger advances. This former is of a subis used. 'l stantially tapered formfor a portion of its The present invention is therefore direct length, with an end portion of uniform died to a particular manner of and means for ameter substantially equal to the minimum 100 so upsetting the ends of the 'tube part, as to diameter of the' tapered portion. Withv the increase the thickness of the wall of the former within the tube, the endwisecpressure tube, without disturbing the external diof the plunger on the tube confine exterinmetvr thereof. The tube part is thus thickorly by the die, causes the tube metal to flow ymi to the extent permitted by the former. Thus, the interior of the tube is upset or thickened, as is desired.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, in whichz- Fig. 1 is a view showing the tube end held in the die, and the plunger ready to enter the end ofthe tube.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the former partly inserted in the tube.

F ig. 3 is a similar View with the plunger and former in final positions, and the tube material embracing the former to complete the upsetting of such tube.

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation, partly insection, of a curved reach rod for automobiles, showing the interior shoulder or back stop for the ball-socket.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of one end of a tie rod, With the end formed according to the present method.

Fig. G is a section on line ,6 6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the die, the sections being shown separable.

In carrying out the method of the present invention, the tube end 1, after being properly heated, is placed between the die sec-y tions 2 and 3. These die sections are formed to receive and grip the tube end between them, one of the sections, as 2, being movable relative to the other to permit the application and withdrawal of the tube.

The heated tube end, held in the dies to maintain an invariable and constant exterior diameter, that is prevent thetube from exteriorly enlarging, is subjected to the action of a longit-udinally-reciprocating plunger 4, of a size to pass within the die opening, but of a diameter greater than that of the interior of the tube. This plunger is provided With a former 5, having a part 6 next the plunger of substantially the normal interior diameter of the tube, a contiguous part 7,

which gradually tapers from the plunger,

and an end part 8, of a diameter substantially that of the minimum diameter of the part 7 The former enters the end of the heated tube, and the plunger directly engages. and exerts endwise pressure on such tube end. The material of the tube will flow to an interior formation corresponding to that of the former, which formation is shown more particularly in Figs. 4 and 45, wherein the interior of the tube is of normal diameter for a distance from its end, as `at 9, then converges for a distance, as at 10, and then diverges to the normal tube diameter, as at 11. rlhus the interior of they tube may be said to have a double conicahprf'double fiaring interior thickening, wit/lathe maximum v diameter of such laringportions that of the normal tube, and the minimum diameters less than that of the normal tube.

The tube end within the length of the interiorly-thickened portion is to receive the external threads 12, usually provided, and it will be noted that the material cut in the formation of these threads is fully and completely compensated for in the increased thickness of the tube Wall resultant from the present method.

In making provision for the reception of the ball socket, as required in'reach rods, the former may be so shaped as to form lnore or less of a shoulder, as indicated at 13 in Fig.

4, at thc end of the plain portion 6 of the former, thus providing an abrupt shoulder or back stop in the tube end. The former shown in Flgs. l, 2, and 3, will provide for the same result, as the beginning of the converging of the interior diameter of the tube wall, as indicated at 14, Fig. 3, may be rendered more abrupt and rounded by obvious mechanical handling to provide the back stop, or under some circumstances, the converging portion of the interior of the tube may, of itself, and without further operations, serve as such back stop.

The method and means described, therefore, provides the tube part with an internal upset to form a limiting means for a ballsocket, and also provides a thickening of the tube Wall at that portion otherwise weakened in the formation of external screw.- threads.

Havin thus described the invent-ion, what i is claime as new, is

1. The method of forming the end of a steering reach rod, consisting in confining the tube against external expansion, and inserting within the tube a former shaped to accurately fit and maintain the normal interior diameter for a determinate distance from the end of the tube, with the former remote from the tube end of less than the tube diameter, and exerting endwise Vpressure on the tube.

2. A reach rod of hollow construction, the end of the rod being of normal exterior and interior diameter, the interior of the rod inwardly of the end having a tapering annularinward projection.

ln testimony whereof I aliix mv signature.

v ALONZOl C. MORSE. 

